The Bittersweet Taste of SFRN
by A Loading Screen
Summary: Nero is given a second chance at Beacon when a team of second-years lose their leader. As he delves deeper into the leader's mysterious past, he finds clues that point to another war between the Faunus and the Humans.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is ultimately a project made for the fans at the subreddit /r/RWBY using the skills I have gathered from my Creative Writing class. I may never finish this story, but I have high hopes and any little acknowledgement or criticism will likely push this project forward. Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks!  
**_

* * *

"The Governing Council is growing impatient."

Glynda Goodwitch paced the office of her superior, Scroll firmly in hand. She worked hard to earn her position as assistant to the headmaster of Beacon Academy, and she dedicated her career to upholding a personal policy of perfect punctuality, good morals, and refining her skills as a Huntress. So why is it that the grey-haired man before her seemed to be defying all of those things by idly sitting at his desk? She was busy keeping the Council at bay!

"We are in need of a replacement—"

"And you will get one, Glynda." She was silenced by the calm tone of Professor Ozpin. "I have been giving it much thought over the past several days. I've been going through the footage from Initiation, and looking for just one person is no easy task." The monitor in front of him was scattered with videos of students making their way through the Emerald Forest – their first test after applying to Beacon Academy.

"Then shall I assist you?" Glynda asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

"No." Ozpin turned in his swivel chair to look at her, tapping on his monitor to mute the overlapping audio from the footage. "I was hoping to hear your report on the increase of Grimm around Vale. I have been receiving an increase in complaints from worried families living in the outskirts of the city."

Glynda tapped on her scroll to bring up the report. "It's not just in the city of Vale, either. I had sent a few of our second-year teams to scout for any similar activity. Almost every city in the country is surrounded by Grimm. No attacks as of yet, but they have been gathering in large numbers outside of the cities."

"And what are your theories on what might be the cause of this phenomenon?" Ozpin asked.

"The likeliest possibility is that the White Fang are planning something. There's been more violent Faunus protests than ever, and information from Qrow seem to indicate that their conflict with the Schnee Dust Company will get even more severe."

"That's unsettling." Ozpin but a hand to his mouth in thought. "Unfortunately there's nothing we can really do about until we have our hands on the artifact. Have the White Fang found it yet?"

"Your information network hasn't given us an update on that since Garnet looked for it." Glynda couldn't help but feel downcast at the memory of the name. "Poor boy. He looked for that to his dying breath."

Ozpin turned back to his monitor, crossing both arms on his desk. A guilty expression was painted on his face. "I've made another mistake. And now my own students are going to have to pay for it." He pursed his lips, before staring back at the monitor and playing the footage again. "If there is one thing out of this, it's that I'm glad that they never had to see what was left of him."

Glynda noticed he nudged the wastebasket below his desk a little closer with his foot, but she decided to not make any mention of it. She turned back to her scroll, hoping not to find yet another angry letter from the Council. She glanced to see that the headmaster's lips were curved upwards as he leaned back in his chair.

"Let the Council know I've found the replacement. "

"Who?" Glynda walked around his desk and looked over his shoulder. He was still fidgeting with the multiple videos of footage, but he eventually tapped on one in order to take up the entirety of the display.

"As you already know, we cannot select a student in an existing group. It'll cause uproar among the students, and the Council wouldn't be happy we broke our fundamental rule of keeping Huntsmen in training to a group of four."

"I'm aware of that." Glynda tried to hide the bitterness in her voice. One of her peeves was being told the obvious. It was a waste of breath. He even avoided the question!

"Just take a look at that young man there." Glynda watched as a lone student was picking flowers. Surely he knew he was being tested for his combat and survival. Why is he idling around picking flowers when he should be looking for the relics?

He crushed the flowers, almost to a powder between his bare hands. Glynda watched as he inspected his work, as if looking something inside. He skittered around to gather some foliage from some nearby trees, and mixed it with the crushed flowers. Then, with his creation complete…

…he ate it.

Ozpin was unsurprised. Impressed, even. Glynda, however, had her mouth slightly open and she was quick to close it before something unwanted got inside it.

"Things like this make me wonder why we don't have a botany class in Beacon anymore." Glynda turned away from the screen to take a look at the headmaster. "Being able to know which plants are food and which are poison can prove to be a useful skill."

"It's because we don't expect our students to live in the wild long enough to depend on foliage and plants for survival." She then realized who she was directing her stern tone to, and immediately calmed down. "But I will admit, it's a dying subject. Are you really going to accept him on the basis that he can pick the right plants out of the ground?"

"Glynda, I appreciate the amount of faith you have in me." Glynda smiled as Ozpin's voice dripped with sarcasm. It certainly contrasted with his dark and stoic demeanor, and it made him seem like more of a sociable person in retrospect. "Here's him in action."

Glynda turned to the monitor to find the young man surrounded by Grimm. They formed a circle around him, leaving no room to escape. "I don't recall there being many Grimm in one place, especially in Emerald Forest."

"If you're theory is correct, all the more reason to be wary of the White Fang's next move. But see how he deals with the Grimm here."

The young man stood still as an Ursa decided to strike first, going on all fours, planning to charge him at full force through the nearest tree or six. As it got exponentially closer, he finally broke his standing position and started to walk towards the rampaging Grimm.

One punch was all it took to stop it in his tracks. It arrived at the Ursa so suddenly it probably didn't notice the crack it had in its skull. A few kicks to the lower jaw and a right hook was it took to take it down. The fading corpse confirmed the kill.

The rest of the Grimm, enraged at the swift death of their comrade, rallied to strike all at once. The young man finally held his fists up, in a typical boxing stance. Ozpin noticed it held a similar resemblance to another student at Beacon…

"He's having a difficult time taking on multiple enemies at once." Glynda watched as the young man's fighting style and strategy drastically changed. No more was it the lightning-fast strikes that made contact with the Ursa just before. Now surrounded with Grimm, he was throwing heavy hooks and kicks. He was trying to escape the circle that was closing in around him.

"He can still hold his own in combat, although a little more training in the arenas would help. Fighting the Grimm barehanded and not dying is a rare sight, don't you think?" Ozpin turned to look at Glynda, who was entranced by what she saw. Probably the part where he gets them to charge from one direction and is able to take down the Grimm one at a time. "I find it commendable. He needs a lot of work on keeping his style consistent, but he has power and intelligence to match."

"Intelligence." Glynda deadpanned. "I understand he has some knowledge not many students at Beacon learn, but what proof do you have that he's intelligent?"

"He's the valedictorian of Signal Academy." Ozpin replied.

"Oh." Glynda was otherwise speechless. How in the world did the valedictorian of Signal Academy fail Initiation?

"I'm somewhat appreciative of these circumstances, now. He did not have come back with a relic or a partner, otherwise I would have accepted him on the spot."

Glynda knew where this was going. Ozpin simply looked back at her with a smirk.

"Would you do the honors?"

Glynda felt her Scroll vibrate. She has a lot to tell the Council.

* * *

"Welcome to Beacon." Ozpin greeted as the elevator opened, revealing his guest. "Well, I suppose I should say 'Welcome back.'" He gestured to the chair placed across from his desk. "Please, take a seat."

The figure began to approach the desk, but did not sit down. "With all due respect, sir, I'd prefer to stand."

"As you wish." He watched as the young man in front of him pushed aside the chair to stand directly before him. "What is your name?"

"Nero, sir. I don't mean to be rude, but have you not looked at my transcript?"

"Of course I have." Ozpin brought up said document on the display. "I was not aware that I had denied the valedictorian at a place like Signal Academy." His voice was filled with fake surprise.

"Thank you, sir, if that was a compliment."

Ozpin smirked. "I applaud you for your hard work. Now, I observed from your performance during Initiation you sought to avoid any interaction with your fellow…acquaintances."

"That is true, sir. I was concerned I would be paired with complete strangers, and at Signal I was too absorbed in my studies to make many friends."

"It's not uncommon to see lone wolves during Initiation each year, especially if they are academically exceptional. Kids these days don't know how lucky they are to have studious people around…" Ozpin took a sip of his mug. "Speaking of Signal, I had suddenly grown curious if you knew these two young women." He fiddled with his display, then turned it to show Nero. One girl was clad in red and black, smiling wide and gleaming silver eyes. The girl next to her was dressed in yellow and brown, with her golden hair and lilac eyes encompassing a majority of the small picture.

"Yang Xiao Long." Nero stared at the blonde. "I heard she's an incredible close-quarters fighter, but that's as far as I know."

"I see. Perhaps you should look for her some time. I think you two may have a lot in common." Ozpin turned the monitor back to himself. "You're here because Beacon has run into a unique scenario."

"Really?" Nero's voice showed some interest.

"It's the first time we've had one of our own students pass away during his time at Beacon. He was undergoing a mission normally suited for staff members, but I do not lack confidence in Huntsmen in training. I refuse to." He took a swig of his drink. "It was during the events of the Initiation. His team has not been able to fully recompose themselves."

"It was only a week ago…" Nero thought aloud.

"That's the most pressing part. The Council refuses to allow a three-person team to exist at Beacon, as it violates one of the rules we founded this school upon. I have been searching for a replacement so the problem does not escalate further."

"And so I'm here."

"So you are. Your new teammates are fine second-year students, more than capable of hunting Grimm if needed. It would be a huge shame to expel them because of my incompetence." Ozpin stood up and began to walk around the circular office. "I assume you would be alright with attending Beacon Academy under these circumstances?"

Nero was patient to answer. "Yes, sir. I must confess I would have not much of a future as a Huntsman if I was not able to attend."

"In that case, I would like to say this," Ozpin adopted a stern tone. You have some very tough shoes to fill. Despite what I have seen of your combat skills and the application of your knowledge you are cooperating with students more experienced as Huntsmen as you are. Someone with as much potential as you should be working your absolute hardest if you plan on meeting the demands of your teammates. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." Nero responded. "I won't disappoint you."

"I hope to see what you are capable of." Ozpin walked to the window behind his desk, the clock face that stood at the very top of Beacon Academy. "The curriculum calls for you to attend first-year classes, but once you and your team are ready to head out, I expect you to be working like a second-year." He turned to face Nero. "If your instructors deem you capable, they can move you to a more advanced class." Ozpin cracked a friendly smile.

"I appreciate your generosity, sir." Ozpin replied with only a satisfied nod.

"I'll have my assistant Glynda call your new teammates to my office. I would like you to wait here for the time being." He typed a few words onto his display and after a short while, he turned back to Nero. "In the meantime, would you care for a cup of coffee?" He raised his mug for emphasis.

"I prefer tea, sir." Ozpin nodded, and walked away. He returned with two mugs in his hand, handing one to Nero.

"Now, Nero, your transcripts only tells me what sort of grades you got and any other significant achievements at Signal. You seem like a smart person; why did you apply to Beacon? It seems that someone of your caliber would be better off as a military commander, or maybe a member of the Governing Council."

"What are you saying, sir?" Ozpin took a sip before he replied.

"I'm saying with your intelligence, we could have you assist Huntsmen and Huntresses without having to be on the front lines. You possess incredible talent, and for anyone to lose that talent when it is needed most would be detrimental. So why come to Beacon as a Huntsman?"

"Have you heard of Mountain Glenn?" Nero inquired. Ozpin was slightly surprised at the mention of that name. It was only about ten years ago…

"A failed attempt at expanding Vale's territory. An incident that's necessary to know about before graduating Beacon."

"Well, I was born and raised for a time atop Mountain Glenn." Ozpin's eyebrows shot up. "My family were just normal citizens living normal lives on this new piece of land that Vale gave to us. It was supposed to be a metropolis with buildings as large as the ones you'd see in Vale, but with a view. It was beautiful; every day you could look out across the plains and see the sun rise and set. If you wanted to see the Grimm, you could. There were large specimens of Grimm that have lived longer than the oldest man in town. I learned that Grimm, like us, could learn; they too knew the dangers of humans. The subway system was rather fun too; no other city in Vale had it, and being able to get to the main city without having to fight off Grimm was incredibly convenient.

"I was only eight years old when we had the last attack. One of the large Grimm, the old ones, finally decided it was the right time to strike the town. I remember my family was too scared to leave the house for better protection. There was screaming, and lots of yelling. A few Huntsmen who decided to move to the area took it down, and then said we should all move underground. My mother and father didn't want to live with the worry of when, not if, the Grimm would eventually get underground. So they decided to take me and my younger brother and head to Vale on foot."

"Were you the only family that made this decision?" Opzin inquired.

"Many families were afraid to face the Grimm head-on. Others wanted to do the same, but they didn't have the skills or abilities to have a chance on the road. My father was a construction worker, so he raised us not to be afraid of getting dirty. My mother was a great gardener, so she was careful to gather plants safe enough for all of us to eat."

"That would explain your 'meal' during initiation."

Nero laughed nervously. "I didn't eat breakfast that morning."

"Please, continue."

"Right." The smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "My father was killed protecting us from an Ursa Major, and both my mother and younger brother were taken by a Nevermore. I never was good at keeping track of time, but I would say it was about two, three years on the road when I lost them. The greatest thing I feel guilty for was not being able to protect my little brother." Nero said nothing after that, so Ozpin decided to ask something else.

"How did you get into Signal? I understand Vale is far away from Mountain Glenn, but Signal is over a vast amount of water."

"Some good folks took care of me the day I arrived in Vale. Never got their names, unfortunately. They gave me a room at an inn and paid for a ferry ticket. They pointed me to Signal, where they said they would have food and shelter for me if I got in. So I took the ferry, and got into Signal."

"I see…" Ozpin took a sip. So did Nero, but he was displeased to find his tea had grown cold over the course of telling his story. "Your tale is harrowing, but I see you have somewhat grown from your experiences."

"Was that meant to be a compliment, sir?" Ozpin didn't reply, but looked at something past him. A grin was plastered over his face.

"I think your answer will have to wait, because it seems your teammates have arrived."

* * *

If his calculations were correct, Beacon's second-year students were about as old as he was. So he was surprised to see they looked a little younger than they actually were. Two young men who appeared to be having a not-so-subtle shoving match was interrupted by the girl who barged in between them. The woman he assumed to be Glynda looked disgruntled, but didn't do anything about the boys.

"I apologize for bringing you three here on such a short notice," Ozpin began as the four of them walked towards his desk. "However, I told you all last week I would find you a new teammate." Nero felt five pairs of eyes on him. It made him a little uncomfortable. "Children, please introduce yourselves.

Nero turned around to face the girl. He happily shook her outstretched hand.

"It's Robin. Glad to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Her handshake screamed 'toughness.'

"You have no idea how much trouble those idiots get into." She pointed her thumb at the boys behind her. "I'm hoping you'll help me put them in line." She quickly glared at them, and the two boys stiffened up in fear. "If not, then I'll have to adopt some…drastic measures."

"Robin," Ozpin intervened. "Please refrain yourself from harming your new teammate." Despite his stern tone, Ozpin couldn't help but grin.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm Forrest." One of the boys behind Robin stepped forward and outstretched his hand. Turns out he had some strong handshakes. "It's awesome to have a new face around here."

Forrest suddenly got closer and began to whisper in Nero's ear. "Why not start up a food fight in the cafeteria at dinner? It'll be fun, and it'll be your first big memory at Beacon."

Nero caught the death stares of an angry Robin and Glynda from the corner of his eye. "Uh…I think I'll pass."

Forrest stepped back, a pout on his face. "You're no fun."

"And you're going to get expelled." Glynda and Robin said at the same time.

"Please don't make me find another replacement." Ozpin added with a smile.

Nero turned to the last boy, who appeared to be avoiding eye contact with everyone else. He looked so energetic just a moment ago. Time to reciprocate.

"And what's your name, good sir?" Nero inquired. The boy looked at him, and saw him smirk at his fake sophistication.

"Slate." He said, also extending his hand. Nero noted Slate's handshakes were not very tight.

"Ahem." Nero's thoughts were interrupted by Ozpin. He was quick to cut the introductions short. "Now that you four are all acquainted, I must ask," He turned to the group of three. "Have any of you come to decisions on who shall lead your team?" His question was met with silence.

It was soon broken.

"I'll lead, sir." Forrest and Robin looked at Slate in shock.

"But we haven't decided on that yet!"

"We didn't." Slate suddenly had this air of authority, and Nero was sure his new teammates sensed it too. "We decided to sulk about Garnet instead of figuring out how this team will stand without him. Have you once considered yourselves to be leaders of this team?"

He was met with reluctant nods of 'no.'

"Then I'll take the lead." Slate turned to Ozpin. "Sir, please allow me to head this group. Garnet has taught me, among many things, to become a capable leader. I feel with my skills I can help Nero be an important part of this team."

Ozpin turned to Nero. "I apologize for not asking for your say in the matter. You just got here. Are you alright with this decision? Perhaps your knowledge could help lead them."

Nero gave him a small smile. "I am humbled, sir, but I have no experience in working in a team. I don't think I'm cut out to be a leader when I have yet to follow. Besides," He turned to the group now standing beside him. "I'll be here a year longer than the rest of you. I'll need all the help I can get." He got approving smiles from his teammates, but he sensed a bit of sadness among them.

Ozpin seemed to agree, though. "Well said." He turned to his display and brought up the pictures of a Team GFRS. The picture above the 'G' was blacked out.

"Slate Stevens, Forrest Cline, Robin Flynne, and Nero Claudius, the four of you shall be known as Team SFRN (Saffron). Congratulations." The team's members shuffled around to form the new combination. The G character faded away, and Nero's face joined the group.

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, the three of you," Ozpin looked at Nero's new teammates. "You are to return to your classes. I want Nero to be able to thoroughly explore Beacon and his dorm before class tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Glynda escorted the three of them to the elevator as they gave silent waves goodbye. The two boys resumed their shoving match before the elevator closed, prompting Robin to facepalm.

"Nero." Ozpin calling his name got his attention. "They may look happy now, but I too have once lost someone dear to me. The death of their former leader will weigh heavily on their minds as they try to move on. As someone who has also lost someone, I want you to support them whenever they need it. A loss of a life is always difficult to overcome."

"I understand, sir. Thank you for the tea." Nero put down the mug as Ozpin handed him his Scroll.

"You're welcome. Please explore Beacon to your liking, but return to your dorm before curfew."

"Thank you, sir." They were the last words Ozpin heard before the second elevator's doors closed.

The office was empty now. Only Ozpin at his desk and the sound of the clock tower above him. And the mug of tea Nero left behind. He clasped his hands before voicing his one thought.

"What are the White Fang up to…?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey! If you read Chapter 1 and have already started reading this chapter, you'll see names you're not familiar with. I've decided to rename all of my OCs in order to make it more consistent inside the RWBY universe. After all, Monty gave a template for us fans to follow. If you've read Chapter 1 after 2/15/15, then you should be fine. Enjoy! **_

* * *

Nero never got to take a good look at Beacon, even when he arrived the first time around. The enormity of the school and its incorporation of large pillars, tall structures, and spacious ballroom designs intimidated him. It wasn't like him to stand still and take a look at things. For him, it was always being on the move, doing the next thing that had to be done. A personal policy of efficiency. If he didn't have to do something, then he wouldn't; if he did, it should be done as quickly as possible.

It was why he was inside his dorm room instead of wandering the school grounds like Ozpin requested. Wasn't hard to find either. He figured since the doors were unlocked via panels outside the rooms – it was right there next to the door, you'd have to be blind not to see it – one swipe of each panel would tell him if it was the right place. So if anyone were to venture back to their dorms at this time, they would have seen a seventeen-year-old dashing down the hallways with his Scroll outstretched like a little kid running his fingers past a metal gate, a cacophony of "Entry Denied" tones echoing throughout.

A few floors – and a few buildings later – he figured out he wasted time starting out at the first-year dorms when he should have been heading to the second-years'. So much for efficiency. But he got where he needed to go, and that's what ultimately mattered.

He opened the door to see there were four beds, three of which had been left undone. One had books sprawled over the covers while another had sheets drooping off the edge. The third bed seemed to be missing a mattress entirely. That would explain the mattress he saw in the hall two floors down…

The fourth bed, however, remained completely neat, as if it was prepared for him. Nero hazarded a guess this was meant to be his predecessor's bed, and now his. It didn't sit well with him he was taking over a bed of one of his teammates' deceased friends, but if he was to work with them for the next few years he figured he might as well just seize the opportunity. Plus, he heard the bell to end classes and he was tired from all the running.

He leaped onto the bed with earnest, only to be met with pain. Excruciating pain. Like he landed on the floor rather than the bed. But even that was carpet, so it should have hurt even less.

He removed himself very slowly, clutching his abdomen. In the gap between the mattress and the wall, he saw a rectangular bulge from underneath the sheets. He uncovered the sheet to find a small wooden box. He had a theory on why his team didn't discover it earlier. He made a mental note to discuss with them about it later.

After fixing the sheets, he laid down the box. He saw it had a lock. The key wasn't hard to find, though – after a quick inspection he found it was taped to the underside of the box. He wondered if whoever left it here – he had a pretty good idea who it was, though – thought no member of Team SFRN would ever be smart enough to look under the side of the box and instead be turning this room into a wasteland. Nero thought back to earlier when he met them in Ozpin's office.

It was plausible.

Removing the tape, crumpling it, and tossing it aside, Nero unlocked the box. Inside was a small, folded piece of paper folded multiple times widthwise, a necklace bearing a mysterious insignia, an expensive-looking pen, and a pair of headphones.

Nero didn't bother with any of the items save for the piece of paper. Those were probably trinkets left for everyone else. Unfolding the paper revealed it was actually multiple pages stacked on top of one another and out of order. The handwriting was god-awful, too. The author was likely in a hurry when writing it. After a quick skim, he finally arranged the pages together to form the final message. With a bit of effort, he was able to decipher the scrawl on the pages.

_Dear Friends. It's Garnet._

_If I die, I want you guys to know that I knew the risks I was taking and I should have disobeyed orders this one time and told you all. But I didn't. I always write letters when I go on solo missions because I want you guys to know my last words and all, but I had this __grim__ Grimm feeling that I wouldn't make it back this time to tell you what's going on. _

Nero paused to chuckle at the joke, but then continued reading. It was a serious topic, after all.

_Sorry, couldn't help myself. This letter will probably make it into the trash bin if I do make it back, so I hope you never have to see it. But if you do, then I'm dead. And I'm sorry. None of you can do much of anything about it. What I can leave you with are_

Nero flipped to the second page.

_some details on what's going on, though. Even Ozpin wasn't willing to tell me everything. If you do find this letter, I don't want you to let him find out what I'm about to tell you. This will be my personal mission to you all, and I want you guys to do it in secret. _

_First, I'm going to be infiltrating the White Fang's hideout to investigate their next move. The riots they've caused have become more violent with each passing day, and it's starting to cause some uproar in Vale. Torchwick is definitely involved, but Ozpin has reason to believe that there's someone even higher _

The third page.

_pulling his strings. Not to mention there's some artifact in the area and Ozpin needs to get his hands on it before the White Fang does. Second, because of these uproars there's been an increase in Grimm. That made things very problematic, and it was one major reason I argued you guys should come. Ozpin said if I stay hidden from the Faunus, the Grimm can't find me either. He didn't want to stretch the limits of the mission, and you guys know what he says goes._

_Third, Ozpin mentioned war. He didn't go much further into detail, but I think it might mean another war between the Faunus and Humans. I'm pretty sure whoever is controlling Roman Torchwick is behind all this. _

_I'm going straight to the White Fang's hideout, and if things go haywire I'm supposed to find the artifact before heading back. A real do-or-die mission. But there's another lead you guys can work on: The Schnee Dust Company._

Nero temporarily went into a panic trying to find the fourth page, only to find it was still on the bed.

_The place is filled with Faunus loyal to the Schnee family, and I fear the White Fang's influence could cause an uprising which may turn the war between them and the SDC in their favor. If the Schnee family is killed, then most of the Dust quarries in Remnant are in their hands. Meaning a massive shortage of power on our end. Ozpin will probably have to send every single student he has in a desperate attack to get the Dust back. And I don't think you guys are ready for that._

_I have no more time. My mission begins now. If I die and get replaced,_

Nero shuddered in the irony of the phrase.

_I want you to aid and train him/her in the same ways I have trained you. And don't grieve for very long. Just keep moving forward and find a way to stop this war._

_-Garnet_

Nero folded up the piece of paper and placed it back into the box along with the other belongings. Placing the box on the table separating the two pairs of beds, Nero took the time to digest what he had just read.

The White Fang turned violent not long ago. Why would they want to take over the Schnee Dust Company so early in the game? They don't have the resources, and there's probably a massive amount of guards protecting the Schnee family at all times. Maybe some military support just to make sure.

And why would Ozpin send Garnet, of all people, alone? Ozpin did say he had confidence in his students to carry out missions, so why send him off to obtain information _and _retrieve an artifact in the same mission? Wouldn't it have been safer to assign them as different missions, and then assign the retrieval mission to someone more qualified? What sort of object was it that Ozpin needed so badly it required him to send one of his own Huntsmen in training?

Nero forced himself to stop thinking about the situation since it was just leading him to more questions and no answers. His teammates were still out, and he still had some time to himself before sundown.

Maybe a walk around Beacon really was the best idea.

* * *

Beacon's cafeteria was always the loudest after school. Most students were worn out after classes or after training and so they often congregated to have an afternoon snack or an early supper. Most of the commotion often revolved around new training techniques or how horrible classes went, while some of it was dedicated to the newest gossip to go around school.

Team SFRN, sans N, walked into the cafeteria to end another hectic day of classes. The three of them have learned from experience that students came to the cafeteria in waves, depending on how far their classes were. The three were quick to get their food in between waves, and they decided to sit down at one of the tables instead of bringing up to their dorms. Too much trouble.

"So, what do you think?" Forrest was usually the first to talk his mind at the table. Not that anyone complained. He had some pretty interesting stories to tell from time to time.

"Think about what?" Slate replied, stuffing his cheek with food so his voice came out normally. It sucked to hear his own voice when his mouth was full. Like talking through a pillow.

"Not what, who." Slate swallowed and looked at him in confusion. "The rookie."

"Oh, Nero." Robin interjected, putting a finger to her lip in thought. "He seems like a nice kid."

"Seems to have a good head on his shoulders, too." Slate added. Forrest looked at the both of them incredulously.

"Really? I don't like him."

"Why?" Robin asked curiously.

"He didn't show up for the food fight."

"Did someone say food fight!?" Everyone in the dining hall froze when the voice of Nora Valkyrie echoed through the hall. Famous since day one, she was described – at the very least – as a bomb of energy.

"No food fights." Luckily the only one who knew how to defuse said bomb was sitting next to her, the calm and collected Lie Ren. The cafeteria continued as normal, knowing another disaster was averted that night.

"Forrest." The sound of an infuriated Robin suddenly increased the tension between Team SFR. "One more food fight, and I'll make sure Glynda deals with you personally." A sly grin stretched along her face.

"Robin, please, enough with the hostility." Slate commanded. Robin, who had suddenly stood up from her seat to stare down at her target, sat back down. "We were talking about Nero."

"Right, my apologies. Nero seems to have a sense of dignity with him, unlike a certain someone." Her eyes remained on Forrest, who was still pale from the mere thought of having to face the wrath of not one, but two furious women.

"Robin." Slate's demanding tone was still difficult to get used to, but it had power and authority.

"Sorry." She replied submissively.

Forrest finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful his leader saved him from what was surely a painful way to die. "Nero's cool, but I think we should get to know how he fights before we come to any conclusions."

"What?" Slate asked incredulously. "You can't judge a man by his character?"

"I can't judge a fighter without knowing his style. You guys know Garnet said the same thing to us when we first started." The mention of his name darkened the atmosphere among his teammates, and a wave of guilt fell over him.

"That he did." Slate said. A brief silence took its place between them.

"Still having trouble getting over it?" Robin asked. This was a topic to tread carefully on.

"Aren't you?"

"Yeah. It's hard to imagine it's already been a week."

"Seven long days, that's for sure." Forrest added.

A smile came over Slate's face. "I'm surprised Ozpin didn't yell at me for missing out on my classes for those seven long days."

"You were pretty damn lucky to have Professor Port sub for your class, otherwise your head would've been on a platter by now." Robin commented.

"Didn't really help that I fell asleep as he was telling yet another chronicle of his childhood." Slate waved his hands in a bombastic manner as if to prove his point. "I couldn't even catch up on what I missed."

"I can't even remember how I survived last year with him." Forrest adding another two cents to the conversation.

"I'm just glad he doesn't give out tests." Slate left briefly to throw away the rest of his food, only to return with a disapproving look from Robin. He tried to change the subject. "Where do you think he could be?"

Forrest cracked a grin. "Professor Port?"

Slate slapped the back of his head. "No, you hoo-hah. Nero." He could hear a small chuckle from across the table.

"Probably at the dorms." Robin was still grinning. "Also, I still can't grasp that 'hoo-hah' is an insult in your family."

"Hey, can you pass me the in-salt?" Forrest often tried his best, if only for making awful puns.

Slate and Robin performed some synchronized groaning. "No."

"Aww…" Forrest looked at the table dejectedly.

"Don't act so disappointed." Robin chastised. "It was bad."

"Okay, you two," Slate intervened. "You guys can bicker about how awful Forrest's puns are back at the dorm. Better to talk to Nero there than talk about him behind his back."

Forrest sighed. "Right." As he stood up, he took notice of something in the distance. "Yo, is that one of the first-years picking on a Faunus?"

Slate and Robin also stood and saw a student bearing some silver armor. He was tugging on the ears of a rabbit Faunus. Her cries for him to stop caught the attention of the nearby tables, but nobody did anything to intervene. Forrest saw that the noise had caught the eyes of people farther away, but some of them continued business as usual.

"The guy just got in, and he's already causing trouble?" Slate thought aloud.

"Hey, I know her." Robin looked at the Faunus with a hint of recognition in her eyes. "She's from Advanced Combat. Velvet Scarlatina, I believe. She's a really nice girl, too."

"Well, an acquaintance of Robin is a friend of mine." Slate discarded his tray of food. "I'll take care of this." He was about to take a step forward towards the conflict before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a familiar face hiding underneath a black hood.

"Nero? When did you get here?"

"Just now, actually." He flashed Slate a smile. "Let me handle this." Before Slate could retort, he could hear Nero's sneakers stomp at a slow, commanding beat against the cafeteria floor, not unlike a certain headmistress. Perhaps this was his chance to show a taste of what he's capable of.

"I happen to be taking a nice stroll through Beacon on a wonderful night, only to come across an insufferable child who doesn't know how good he has it and spending his free time bullying Faunus that have yet to stand on their own two feet." The boy almost froze in fear, then huffed in intimidation once he saw that the voice did not belong to who he expected.

"I think he got some cues from Ms. Goodwitch." Forrest whispered.

"Really? I bet 50 Lien he got that from Ozpin." Robin replied.

"Nah." Slate's disagreement caught both his teammates' attention. "He got it from Garnet. He was always so aggressive about defending Faunus."

The boy in armor looked down at Nero, who stood a little shorter. A standoff with neither willing to back down. The cafeteria was silent the moment Nero projected his voice to the student, but Slate felt the tension building within the hall. He wasn't sure whether to feel excited or worried.

The hunk of armor was the first to speak. "And who do you think you are, tough guy?"

"Me? I'm nobody. Just a guy strolling past. But I would certainly like to keep your hands where I can see 'em."

"Oh, why's that?" Nero noticed his opponent was reaching for something behind his back. Someone like him would probably bring his weapon around at all times.

"Because you wouldn't have time to defend yourself-" Suddenly the unprotected face met Nero's fist. A moment ago his arms were by his side, and in the next the armored student was on the ground with Nero adopting a fighting stance. "—from that. I hope we never cross paths again." The people sitting with him, presumably his teammates, rushed to be at the grounded student's side, checking on his condition.

Nero turned to the Faunus. "Velvet, was it?" A quick series of nods confirmed that. "I'll have you know that I have nothing but admiration for Faunus, knowing they had to fight discrimination just to get into this school." He saw Velvet's shoulders stop shaking. "You should get going."

"R-right!" Velvet quickly dashed out the back end of the dining hall. Nero walked back to Slate, who looked unsure about how he felt his teammate dealt with the situation.

"Shall we go?" Nero asked his leader.

"Dude looks like needs to go to the infirmary." Forrest observed. Nero looked back at the commotion. He could see that a few students were looking at him, smiling and murmuring about something.

"Nah, he just got caught off-guard. See? He's getting up already." The armored boy was being helped up, but he began to shake them off once he was able to stand. "I probably didn't make a dent in his Aura."

Slate saw that the armored boy was ready to attack. "Well, I don't want to find out what happens after that. Let's head back to the dorms." Forrest and Robin discarded their trays as they rushed to the main entrance and back to their dorm room.

* * *

"Punching a bully in the face does not make him go away or change his mind." Slate lectured. He was sitting on the bed in the corner of the room farthest away from the door and to the left of the large window. Each bed was assigned their own corner, and Slate had to look across the room to make eye contact with Nero, as his bed was diagonally opposite Slate's.

"I know." Nero replied. "I'm sure I'm the one he's going for now. Not the Faunus, not anyone else."

"Wait, why?" Robin was situated on one of the two beds closer to the door. Nero was on the other one.

"Because I like to be the guy who gets to be the proverbial punching bag. It makes me stronger."

"Is…that your semblance?" Forrest hazarded a guess.

"No, it isn't." Nero waved his hand back and forth as he said it. "I do it for fun." He also had a tendency to break his own policy of efficiency, but only if it gave him something to do.

Slate and Robin looked at each other. Any impressions this guy made in Ozpin's office was dispelled with that comment. This guy could be completely psychotic. They looked to F for some sort of agreement.

"Slate, Robin. Forget what I said about Nero earlier. I like him." Forrest flashed Nero a grin. "So you became a martyr on your first day, against Cardin of all people."

"Cardin? That's a stupid name if I had any say in it." Robin apparently found that hilarious.

"To imagine he got to lead his own team." She said through laughs.

"I'm not sure whether to feel bad for him or for his team." Robin erupted in laughter again.

Slate decided to cut the humor short. "Okay, so we've established that you did this to take care of the bullying problem. Now what is this important thing you wanted to tell us?"

"Two things, actually." Nero corrected, holding up the appropriate number of fingers. "First, why in Remnant is Forrest's mattress two floors below us?"

"Oh, that?" He said that like it didn't matter. "I threw it out. Gave it to the guys and gals down there."

"Okay, but…why?" Robin was the one to answer.

"Apparently, he hates sleeping on soft things. He's too damn stubborn to sleep on the floor, so he gets the bedframe."

"Picky," Slate heard Nero mutter. This conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"Okay, so what's the second 'important' thing?" He was sure to add air quotes because he was sure this wasn't important either.

Nero pointed to an object on the bedside table under the window. "You guys didn't see that box when you came in?"

"I thought that was yours." Robin retorted.

"Open it." His voice was devoid of all emotion. Like Ozpin sometimes.

Forrest was the first to grab it, eagerly turning the key to the wooden box. His excited face contorted to one of surprise. His eyes glistened with recognition, then dulled to remorse. He slowly removed the contents of the box, placing them in front of him for the rest of the team to see. They didn't seem to worry about the fact that the objects were placed on a bed frame.

Nero said nothing, but audible gasps could be heard from both Robin and Slate once they saw the three objects on the bed next to a stack of papers. The two rushed the bare bed to take a closer look, with Nero lagging behind.

Slate picked up the pen. "I've been asking for this. It's incredibly expensive since it uses Dust as a writing material. The Council uses them to write and dispose of secret documents they don't want anyone else to see, since the Dust can destroy the paper depending on the Dust used."

Robin picked up the necklace and put it around her neck. "This is a symbol of who we were supposed to be. Team GRFS, those who took calculations and turned it to something you can see. But I'm part of a new team now, so I think I'll wear it as a souvenir of old times."

Forrest picked up the headphones. "These were his." He put them aside to read the stack of papers.

Slate smiled out of wistful nostalgia. "He had one heck of a taste in music. We used to blast his playlists until curfew every day when we were still first-years."

Robin smiled at the memory. "Those were some good times. I remember he blasted some of that at the Vytal Festival. That was fun, right, Forrest?" Her face turned to worry when she didn't get a response. She took a look at him, who looked shocked at what he was reading. His eyes darting left and right, up and down the pages, shifting them back and forth, checking to see what he had just read was true. Then, his eyes filled up with water. He handed Slate the stack of papers as he held his head down, letting the tears fall upon his crossed legs.

Slate's face wasn't any less stoic than before when he removed the papers from his face to hand to Robin, but Nero saw that his friend's skin was a little paler than before.

"You have to be kidding me." Robin set the papers down back on the bedframe. She clutched her head in her hands as she turned and walked away from the group of boys. "You have to be kidding me!"

"Robin…" Forrest began. "Please calm down." His voice was also devoid of emotion.

"Ozpin was going to hide something this big from right under our noses! I think calming down is a bit out of the question. He left bread crumbs for us to find, and we could have spent an entire week looking for them instead of sitting on our butts and doing nothing!"

"Robin!" Slate's commanding voice returned. "Please calm yourself. I understand you're upset, and with good reason. But if Garnet wants us to carry out this mission in secret, then I'm sure he wouldn't be happy with you yelling about it through the walls." She said nothing afterwards and her anger seemed to subside.

The room fell into silence.

"So what do we do?" Nero asked. Slate turned to him. "You're in charge of us now. What's our first move?"


End file.
